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Ael'ùvah
The ael'ùvah are elves native to Gil-Navarié and the other islands of the Elven Isles. They were one of the first races to evolve from the Valiö. They are called the udesi by the ael'nonùvah, the ùpatiir ''by the Essence Elves and Mystic Elves by the Erius. The singular form of ael'ùvah is al'ùvah, which means ''I am blessed ''in their native tongue, ael'ùvahian. They were once called ''aelutur'ùvah ''by themselves in their early history. They are one ''validor ''race on Cerceres. Biology The ael'ùvah are a tall race. The average height is between 6' and 7', however, heights above that range are not uncommon. The tallest ever individual was an al'ùvah named Servésidrù, who stood at a height of 9' 6" when he died. They are also lithe and lean. They are naturally slim. It is very rare to see an overweight al'ùvah. On such example was Cyriöd the Undesirable, a very fat individual who was known for his feasts. Their skin colour ranges from bronze to pale but it is commonly a faint golden colour. Those living in Palmu have paler skin than those living in Gil-Navarié. Their hair colour is generally blond or black. Red is very uncommon. Their hair turns grey or white as they grow older. Their eye colour is limited to blue or green. The ael'ùvah are one of the longest-lived races. They can live to an age of two thousand. The oldest al'ùvah was roughly two thousand five hundred years old when he died. They mature slowly. They become adults around the age of one hundred and fifty years for males and one hundred and thirty years for females. They are quite infertile and mothers rarely bear more than three children. History Re-awakening According to the ancient folklore of the ael'ùvah, the first Al'ùvah to awaken was Cuëníevé, the first Paramount King. He and his brethren awoke outside Gil-Aman, later to be renamed Gil-Navarié. They found it covered in ice and in much the same way as it had been during the height of the Valiö's power. Cuëníevé is said to have proclaimed the city a gift from the gods and that is how the ael'ùvah gained their reputation for being arrogant. Early History Although Cuëníevé's ael'ùvah were the first to awaken, they were not the only ones. Later, Maraë, the first Queen of Gil-Gotham, awoke outside what would become Gil-Gotham. At that time, it was just a shrine. Maraë had awoken with about fifty other individuals and together they began to construct a great city to guard the shrine. Later, the elves of Maraë were discovered by Cuëníevé's ael'ùvah. Cuëníevé taught that the ael'ùvah of Gil-Navarié were the only beings on the world. To protect his status as leader of the ael'ùvah, Cuëníevé declared war on Maraë's elves. Despite only having one hundred warriors between them, the ael'ùvah at that time were much like the Valiö of old, blessed with great strength and endurance. The war raged for many years, the soldiers kept fighting by the magic that both sides possessed. The war was only stopped when Cuëníevé scaled Siërra Grés, a huge mountain that once dominated the Gil-Navarié skyline. On reaching the summit, Cuëníevé is said to have found a great dragon, whom he awoke in the hope that the dragon would help him defeat his enemy. The dragon was cunning. He called himself Angadíthrùl, the Mortal Helper, and told Cuëníevé that he would help him. At first, Angadíthrùl was true to his word and won many battles for Cuëníevé. ael'ùvahian lore says that Angadíthrùl turned on Cuëníevé at the ''pyrra i incíndorathù, the Battle of Great Fire, and slew many of his warriors, as well as the soldiers of Gil-Gotham. Cuëníevé is said to have cursed the dragon and named him Angadiël, the Mortal Eater. Cuëníevé is then said to have been driven insane by the loss of his forces and drove himself off of the Siërra Grés and down into the busy city below. His son, Cuënathù, formed an alliance with Maraë and their forces drove Angadiël from the Elven Isles. It is speculated that Cuënathù and Maraë grew closer, their friendship going further than their alliance. A child was born to Maraë and she called him Cuäré. Around this time, the line of Cuëníevé died, adding more evidence to support the notion that Maraë and Cuënathù were betrothed. Cuäré proved to be a great ruler. He was regarded as one of the best Paramount Kings in the history of the ael'ùvah. He was known for his economical policies and his war against the nobles of his own kingdom. He was successful in reducing the amount of power that his nobles possessed and introduced schemes to help the most disadvantaged in ael'ùvahian society. His schemes were kept by his son but they were overturned by Cyriöd. They were later restored by Siëdolicé. Sometime after the reign of Siëdolicé, these schemes were overturned yet again and never reintroduced. The Rise of Thiëtism Long after the time of Cuäré, a movement arose that threatened to destroy everything that the ael'ùvah stood for. That threat was Thiëtism, led by the prophet Thiët. Thiët claimed that he had communicated with Lokve, the chief of the ael'ùvahian pantheon. Thiët told the ael'ùvah that their arrogance and pride was insulting to Lokve, who stood for the virtues of modesty and equality. He gathered great amounts of followers and then held peaceful protests against the ruling classes of the Elven Isles. Fearing that their power was at stake, the Paramount King and his chief nobles outlawed Thiëtism, branding it vo gibùsel iyévë idiöd, ''the ramblings of an idiot. Despite their efforts, Thiëtism continued to be a central religion in the Elven Isles, having followers even in the Paramount King's court. The Paramount King at the time was Cyriöd the Undesirable. He was known for being a flamboyant ruler who didn't care about his subjects, pursuing his lavish lifestyle while his advisers did all the work. His son, Cyrathù, joined the Thiëtist movement, becoming a key leader. Cyriöd was angered by this act and sent all the Thiëtists to Fomír, granting them their own lands in which they could worship and study. The Expansion of the ael'ùvah Under the rule of Siëdolicé, the sixth Paramount King, the ael'ùvah saw much expansion. Ael'ùvahian boats landed on the shores of Donton, colonising the area near what would become Vitae. Around this time, the Dons, a civilisation originating from eastern Mithraleen, began their expansion into Donton. The ael'ùvah called these people, who were Erius, ''iberanus iyu cerum ucognital, ''meaning natives of the unexplored land. The similar interests of both parties caused much conflict between the two races. In the opening days of the conflicts, the ael'ùvahian mages were successful, slaying many Donese soldiers, however, the Dons were vastly more numerous and could reproduce faster than the ael'ùvah could. The Dons drove the ael'ùvah eastwards, into present day Palmu. The nargds of Nargd'Hcuthd were moving south at this time and were brought into close contact with the ael'ùvah. Unlike the Dons, they co-operated with the ael'ùvah, working as guards and warriors. In return, the ael'ùvah provided them with culture and riches. Less well-known is the ael'ùvah's expansion into Afrik. Already, Afrik was the home of the barabs, the canids and the invasive erius from Eusiac. The barabs and the erius had made an agreement stating that they would split the north of the continent between them and drove the Canids out. They united again when the ael'ùvahian colonists came. The colonists were forced to settle on islands around the continent. The most famous is the Isle of Orcle. The Menagi Gradually, the ael'nonùvah began to become genetically different from the ael'ùvah. Over the course of a few thousand years, they changed slightly, to cope with the environment of Fomír and its threats. Some ael'ùvah bred with the ael'nonùvah. Over the course of a few centuries, a new race was born. The menagi. The twelfth Paramount King, Aradthir the Proud, was disgusted by this, thinking that it made the ael'ùvah impure. He passed laws making it illegal for any ael'ùvah to have offspring with the ael'nonùvah and banished the menagi to Amar-Haver. In Amar-Haver, the menagi resided for many years. They formed their own culture and traded with the nargds and the ael'ùvah of Palmu. Under the rule of Aradthirathù, Aradthir's son, the ael'ùvah made a mighty fleet. For a long time, menagi pirates had preyed on the harbours and ports of Gil-Navarié. Aradthirathù decided that the time for retaliation had come and his huge armada sailed to Amar-Haver. The boats of the menagi were fast and dangerous but they were also very weak. The ael'ùvahian navy quickly assumed naval dominance over the menagi. The first attempts to invade Amar-Haver were met with failures. Despite the skill and magical proficiency possessed by the ael'ùvah, they were quickly outmatched by the menagi who used guerrillas warfare to kill the invading force. The ael'ùvah withdrew their warriors from Amar-Haver and decided to bombard the island with spells. The spells made the island unstable and a great flood swept over the island, sinking it. Only a few ships managed to flee from Amar-Haver. The winds carried the menagi to Sortír, where they settled. Thinking the Menagi extinct, Aradthirathù did not search for any survivors. The Ael'nonùvahian Rebellions Cyriöd's solution was only to be temporary. During Etherandir's reign, Aradthirathù's son, the ael'nonùvah grew tired of being viewed as second-class citizens by the ael'ùvah. Some ten thousand years prior to the formation of the First Empire of Mithraleen, an uprising started in Gíl, an ael'ùvahian city known for its high ael'nonùvahian population. The initial attempts to put down the resistance were successful but soon other rebellions commenced in other cities and towns along the southern coast of Gil-Navarié. Etherandir was brutal in his crackdown, sending in the army to restore order. After a long siege, the soldiers managed to retake most of the cities but some strongholds remained under the control of the ael'nonùvahian rebels. The war was bloody and long. Etherandir couldn't use his mages to win the sieges or he risked destroying the cities. Eventually, only Gil remained under ael'nonùvahian control. The ael'ùvahian armies marched on Gil but when they arrived there, they found the city empty. All of the ael'nonùvah had fled. The War with the City-States of Sypathyra Not long after the time when the ael'nonùvah had rebelled, a new threat opposed the ael'ùvah. Although it did not directly affect those living in Gil-Navarié, it was bad news for the ael'ùvah living in the areas near Palmu and Socra. The City-States of Sypathyra had recently made a ceasefire and ended a costly and long war. Finding comfort in their brief time of unity, they made a plan to expand and consolidate their power in the region. Soon, the armies of Sypathyraea were marching on Palmu and were raiding villages for money. The governor of the ael'ùvah in Socra, Nassarïen, who was controlled by the Paramount King in Gil-Navarié, was ill-prepared when the enemy first attacked. By the time he had assembled an army, he had lost great amounts of land east of Palmu. Immediately, he requested aid from Etherandir, who sent a few ships of soldiers to help in the defence, however, the aid was not satisfactory and Nassarïen grew resentful of Etherandir. The first great battle was outside Palmu, where two of Nassarïen's armies had been able to trap the Sypathyraean force. The ael'ùvah called the battle ''v'uvivasta planiës, ''the Killing Field. They utterly crushed the Sypathyraean force and had scattered the survivors, however, the force was only a scouting party and soon the larger section of the Sypathyraean army had arrived near Palmu. Although initially successful, Nassarïen's forces were driven backwards and were forced to retreat to the city. Etherandir had reasons for not sending his entire force to aid Palmu. He used the war to divert the Sypathyraeans' attention away from their cities, risking Palmu and Socra to do so. When the bulk of the enemy's army was attacking Palmu, Etherandir invaded Sypathyra and conquered many of the cities in one lightning attack. The Sypathyraean forces were forced to withdraw from Palmu to try to recapture their homes. The army was crushed and attacked from behind by Nassarïen's army. Etherandir forced the Sypathyraeans to give huge amounts of land and wealth to him in return for their cities. Nassarïen was angry that he had not been invited to the peace talks and his resentment bubbled into hatred. Etherandir sensed that Nassarïen would possibly rebel and dispatched assassins to get rid of Nassarïen. The assassins were either bought over by Nassarïen or failed in their attack and Nassarïen learned of Etherandir's betrayal. Palmuian Uprising A few decades after the failed assassination attempts on Nassarïen's life, Nassarïen felt that he had consolidated enough power to successfully break away from Etherandir's reign in Gil-Navarié. In one swift move, he killed all nobles and diplomats that were disloyal to him and broke ties with Gil-Navarié. When Etherandir learned of this betrayal, he readied an army. A few years later, the army was sent to Palmu. There was a large naval battle but Etherandir's force soon gained the upper hand. Nevertheless, Nassarïe's navy had achieved their goal and had killed one third of Etherandir's army. Etherandir was forced to land his army a few days away from Palmu. During their march, they were continuously assaulted by Nassarïe's armies. By the time they reached the city, the army had been cut down to less than half of their original number. Despite this, Etherandir still possessed the advantage as most of his force consisted of mages and veterans, whilst Nassarïe's forces were made up of recently-trained infantry. Etherandir besieged Palmu, intent on capturing the capital and winning the war through demoralisation of the enemy. The siege was swiftly broken by reinforcements from Socra and Etherandir was forced to retreat. His army fled to Nargd'Hcuthd and Etherandir began to recruit mercenaries to strengthen his heavily damaged force. Once Etherandir had regained much of his force's strength, he resumed the war. However, on this occasion, he tried to weaken his enemy by damaging much of its infrastructure and economy by destroying farms and roads. Slowly, his force was drained of men and many abandoned him to join his enemy. Although he had been successful in weakening his enemy, he had failed in the invasion. He swore that he would return with a larger force to finish the invasion and made for his ships with the few soldiers that had remained loyal to him. Before he arrived at the coast, his second-in-command and advisor, Cuäné, saw that madness had overtaken Etherandir and slew him, before killing himself. Etherandir had never married and thus did not have a son or daughter to take his place. With no strong ruler to lead them, the factions in Gil-Navarié erupted in violence and began a civil war that would last for many hundreds of years. The Reunification of Gil-Navarié By the time the Mithraleenean Empire had risen in Mithraleen, the ael'ùvah had just begun to come under one banner. They had spent almost nine thousand years as many separate political entities vying for power and wealth. They united under Hanethéöir, an al'ùvah from Sangéth who was in control of Sangéth's powerful navy and army. Although many of the city-states had allied with him, some, like Gil-Gotham and Gil-Navarié, wanted to retain their independence. Ironically, Gil-Navarié and Gil-Gotham merged and became a single power. The first battles were fierce and bloody. At vo pyrra i uvivastathù, over three thousands soldiers on all sides were slain or badly injured. In the battles that followed, more ael'ùvah were slain. It was not for a hundred years when the ael'ùvah finally reunified. The war ended in the Siege of Gil-Navarié, which saw the Gil-Gotham-Gil-Navarié alliance crushed and surrounded from all sides. When the ael'ùvah were finally reunited as one, the Mithraleenean Empire had swelled to a vast size and had conquered much of the area of Donton and Mithraleeth, as well as conquered all other factions in Mithraleen with the exclusion of the Khârg of Khâzaduru. The empire soon set its sights on conquering more land and Gil-Navarié was one of the areas that looked fruitful to the empire. The Imperial Invasion of Gil-Navarié About five hundred years after the ael'ùvah had reunified, the Mithraleenean Empire had control of areas from Mithraleen to Miraleen, from Fjorr to the Murstag Mountains. Only a few enemies could still oppose their might. The ael'ùvahian king at the time was Cyrodé. He invited all the leaders of the factions that still fought against the Mithraleenean Empire to his palace in Gil-Navarié. There, he planned an attack against the Mithraleenean Empire. He allied with Socra and Palmu, in which elves were no longer a majority due to immigration; the city-states of Sepilonea and Iodinaea; Dirich, which was now faced with the Mithraleenean Empire and the Kingdom of Stjerkaj; and the ugluh of Agluh Hghdal. While the Mithraleenean Legions were involved in a conquest in Arctictas, the alliance decided to strike. The Ninth Legion stationed in Donton was not strong enough to take on the full might of the ael'ùvahian army. The Fifth Legion was drawn in from Mithraleeth to assist. At that point, the ugluh and the nargds of Dirich swept in from the north and attacked Murstag and Mithraleeth. The Fifth Legion was hastily pulled back and the Ninth Legion was defeated by the ael'ùvah. The ael'ùvah captured Donton and pushed onto Vitae. On the way there, the ael'nonùvah that lived in the forests of Donton came to the empire's aid and attacked the ael'ùvah. There were many fierce skirmishes but the ael'ùvah were unable to defeat the ael'nonùvah's famous horse archers and were pushed back to Donton. The Mithraleenean Empire successfully conquered Arctictas with the help of Ulaalh and the legions returned to defeat the nargds and the ugluh. Once the ugluh of Agluh Hghdal were forced back to their lands, the empire turned its attention to the ael'ùvah. They quickly restored order in Donton and forced them out of mainland Eusiac. Within a year, a large fleet was assembled in Donton and in Mithraleen and sailed towards Gil-Navarié. In a two-pronged attack, the defenders of the island were taken by surprise. Within a week, Gíl and Sangéth had been sacked and captured. The legions pushed on, defeating everything that the ael'ùvah threw at them. The ael'ùvah managed to kill many enemies with their mages but the empire continuously killed them with cavalry. By the end of the year, Gil-Gotham, Sadré, Físros and Zorés had also fallen to the Imperial Legions. The legions took camp outside Gil-Navarié and waited for the Paramount King to surrender, knowing that he could not win. Cyrodé killed himself and his son ascended to the throne. Hating the cost of the war, in both blood and money, his son surrendered and Gil-Navarié became an imperial province. The Rise of the Fledging Hegemony Halfway through the Third Empire of Mithraleen, there was a huge uprising in Gil-Navarié. The two legions commonly stationed on the island were overwhelmed by the vast numbers of rebels. Even within the legion, there were enemies. The legions were down to half size and were being attacked from all sides. Gíl, Zorés and Sadré fell first. The legions managed to hold onto Físros, Gil-Gotham, Sangéth and the capital for a considerable time. Legions were brought from Donton and the empire's menagi allies gave aid in the form of troops. Despite these reinforcements, the rebels managed to take Sangéth after a long string of sieges. The rebels now had a base in which they could build and field a powerful navy. The legion failed in trying to retake the city and the rebels were allowed to militarise. The rebels preyed on imperial shipments and destroyed many transport ships. They also sacked much of Gil-Gotham in a lighting-fast and very violent raid. The order was given for all of the soldiers to withdraw and retreat to the capital. The rebels were quick to conquer the cities left undefended and also prepared for an attack on the city of Gil-Navarié. Habitat and Population The first ael'ùvah were found purely on Gil-Navarié, as that is where they evolved. The island was well-suited to their needs. It was rich in minerals, timber and livestock. The soil was ideal for growing crops. However, there was always a lack of water (Gil-Navarié has no large bodies of water and the only source of fresh water is from the Elath Géthé). When the ael'ùvah first learned how to build sea-worthy ships, they spread out to the surrounding islands. Fomir and the Havessé Islands were the first ones to be colonised. Before its absorption into the Mithraleenean Empire, the ael'ùvah of Gil-Navarié were a naval power. As a result, they were able to conquer many lands despite the fact they were separated from the mainland. Palmu and Socra were the capitals of the ael'ùvah that immigrated from Gil-Navarié. As the ael'ùvah are slow to mature and rarely have more than three children per family, it would be thought that their population would decrease. In fact, because they are able to live for such a long time and are resistant to most diseases, their population is able to stay level. Personality The ael'ùvah are regarded by many to be arrogant and imperialistic. Since their early history, they have been told by their leaders that they are the true sons and daughters of Lokve. Those that disagree with this view are looked at oddly and held in low regard by most, especially the upper-class elite, who exercise control over the populace. They are also generally extremely devout and religious. They regularly persecute those that have different religious views than them, for example, the Thiëtists were forced from their home and exiled to the island of Fomír. Many of them believe in the idea of blood purity, that the ael'ùvah are the purest race and that all others are below them. They despise being called elves as it forces them to be grouped with the ael'nonùvah and the X'azzeeri, their greatest enemies. Some of them get on fine with the Erius but they hate the Hardeteels. The khârg are, in their eyes, the most unclean beings. They find them more impure than even the menagi. Their hate of the dwarves stems from the fact that the dwarves are not a validor race, instead, being created by Cthor. Views on other elves The ael'ùvah view themselves as being the only race worthy of the title elf. They resent that they are considered to be related to the ael'nonùvah, the menagi and the x'azzeeri, who they consider to be unworthy of sharing the same world as them. They have a grudging respect of the essence elves, who are far superior in magical ability than the ael'ùvah. Culture and Religion The majority of the ael'ùvah are believers of Lokve. In their pantheon, he is the head god. He is also believed to have created the ael'ùvah to be the inheritors of the Valiän Empire. They view all of the other races to be substandard. They think it is their quest to subjugate and educate the other races and exterminate the Khârg. The ael'ùvahian society is heavily based on class. The Paramount King is said to be Lokve's mouth and his will is the will of Lokve. In doing this, the upper-class of the ael'ùvah can retain power and keep the masses under their thumb. Family is a large part of ael'ùvahian society. Many individuals belong to one of the many large families. Despite this, family members are readily denounced and kicked out of the family if they do not show the correct purity or devoutness. Once kicked out, it is almost impossible to be allowed back into the family. However, unlike ugluhian society, the children of those scorned are eagerly welcomed back into the family, as long as they show promise. Family Families are a huge part of ael'ùvahian life, especially in Gil-Navarié. In Palmu and Socra, and other areas with ael'ùvahian diaspora, family is a smaller part of life, however, it is still thought of as important by many. All families can trace their lineage back to either the first Paramount King of Gil-Navarié or the first Queen of Gil-Gotham. Ancestry is important to the ael'ùvah and those with famous relatives are thought to be powerful. There are hundreds of families but there are three main ones. *Assaréiën *Arreniäsié *Cácériäné These families alone account for two thirds of the ael'ùvahian population of Gil-Navarié and half the population of the ael'ùvah in total. Languages The ael'ùvah are very language-orientated. They view their languages proudly. Many times in the past, it has been required by law to speak one of the ael'ùvahian languages to live in Gil-Navarié. They are proud of their languages' vast reach and influence on other languages. Ael'ùvahian and the langiägi iyévë aelutur'ùvah has spawned many languages. Ael'nonùvahian and the menagi language evolved from these languages and many words in the erius language are derived from words of these languages. In history, only the ael'ùvahian dialect spoken in Gil-Navarié was considered proper. Those speaking other dialects, such as the coastal and Haniärian dialects, were considered stupid. Notable People *Eändiré '' *''Endiroël '' *''Etherandir '' *''Hanethéöir '' Trivia *The ael'ùvah are the second, longest-lived race, only beaten by the Essence Elves. *The ael'ùvah were responsible for the creation of two of their enemies, the ael'nonùvah and the menagi. Category:Races Category:Validor Category:Elves